The most newsworthy purchase at Art Basel Miami this week was a banana duct-taped to a wall. The piece of artwork, called "The Comedian," was sold for a whopping for $120,000.
"The Comedian" was created by Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan, who also created the solid gold toilet stolen from Blenheim Palace earlier this year. According to CBS News, there are three editions of the piece in existence and two have already been sold. The final third edition is expected to be sold for $150,000.
Emmanuel Perrotin, the gallery founder, told CBS News that the artist first thought of the piece a year ago, and the initial idea was a banana sculpture. "Every time he traveled, he brought a banana with him and hung it in his hotel room to find inspiration," Perrotin said. "He made several models: first in resin, then in bronze and in painted bronze (before) finally coming back to the initial idea of a real banana."
There hasn't been any information from the artist about the bananas going rotten. ButThe Miami Heraldreports that owners can replace the banana, as needed.
Perrotin also told CBS that beyond just being a duct-taped to a wall, "Comedian" is a social commentary piece. He said, "Whether affixed to the wall of an art fair booth or displayed on the cover of the New York Post, his work forces us to question how value is placed on material goods."
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